A Flame in Your Heart
by jkawsome
Summary: Inko Midoriya lived a wonderful life with her husband and their young child Izuku. Then the bombs fell, and everything changed. Now Inko must traverse through an unfamiliar wasteland to find her missing family, make new friends and allies, and possibly save the Commonwealth while she's at it.


**Welp. I've been playing a lot of Fallout 4 lately, and watching a lot of BNHA lately, and this sort of mashed together. I don't have a beta for this or anything, so if you see some errors, feel free to tell me and I'll correct them. I Hope you enjoy, and review if you can! **

* * *

_Boston, 2077_

"War. War never changes.

In the year 1945, my great great grandfather, serving in the army, wondered when he'd get to go home to his wife and the son he'd never seen. He got his wish when the U.S ended World War Two, by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The world awaited Armageddon.

Instead, something miraculous happened. We began to use atomic energy not as a weapon, but as a nearly limitless source of power. People enjoyed luxuries once thought the realm of science fiction. Domestic robots, fusion cars, portable computers. All made a reality.

But then, in the twenty-first century, people awoke from the American Dream. Years of mass consumption had led to shortages in every major resource. The entire world unraveled. Peace became a distant memory. It is now the year twenty seventy-seven, and we stand on the brink of total war. And I am afraid, for myself, my wife, and for my infant son.

Because if my time in the army has taught me anything, it's that war never changes."

"You're gonna kill it at the Veteran's Hall tonight, Honey." Inko Midoriya let out a small chuckle as her husband Hisashi jumped and spun around to face her. "Don't worry about it."

Hisashi grinned. "You think? It does sound a little bit dramatic."

"But it's the truth, isn't it?" Inko raised an eyebrow. "That's what you've always told me. Now you get to go tell others as well." She reached out and squeezed his hand. "Personally, I think it's just the right amount of dramatic. Although, you might be taken a bit more seriously if you lost the man-bun." She tucked some loose strands of her husband's brown hair behind his ear.

Hisashi pouted, looking both silly and endearing. "But I like my man-bun! And so does Izuku, he loves playing with it."

Inko laughed. "Well, if Izuku loves it, I suppose we can't get rid of it, can we?" She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You've been hogging the mirror for a while now, my turn."

"No problem. I'll set out some breakfast for us." Hisashi gave her hand a tight squeeze before leaving the bathroom. Inko watched him go with a smile, then turned to the mirror, pulling back her hair into a ponytail. In the fluorescent lighting, her hair seemed almost green. Hisashi had once joked that her and their son's "green hair" was their own special power, like some people these days seemed to be getting. Inko thought comparing green looking hair to that guy with literal wings was a bit of a stretch.

Her mind drifted back to the Veteran's dinner they were attending tonight. She had been friends with Hisashi since high school, although they hadn't dated then. When he had decided to enter the army instead of going to college, she had been heartbroken. It seemed the absence had made her realize just how much she cared for him, and even though they kept in touch, she worried for him constantly. After he had gotten back from overseas, the two had confessed and started dating and things had come together from there.

While she knew this speech was something Hisashi needed to do, and there would be people there they hadn't seen in a long time that she wanted to reconnect with, Inko almost wished they wouldn't go. So many bad memories came with it, and even just thinking about it brought all the anxiety and sleepless nights flooding back.

Inko tucked her shirt into her pants and walked into the kitchen, where Hisashi was setting down bowls of cereal. He grinned at her as she walked in.

"Ah, Ma'am!" A large spherical robot floated in front of her, various appendages sticking out from underneath. "I've prepared coffee for both you and Sir! Lots of cream, just how you like it. I hope you enjoy!"

Inko took the offered beverage from their robotic butler. "Thank you Codsworth."

Codsworth did a little spin. "Happy to serve! Now I shall go to check on young Izuku. It is nice to see that he is still asleep." _For once._ With her child in her life, Inko had never been happier, but that didn't mean there weren't plenty of rough nights. Thankfully, Izuku had pretty much grown out of that stage. Having fed him earlier, it was the first time in a while that she and her husband could enjoy a peaceful breakfast.

"I was a bit worried when we first got him," Hisashi admitted. "But I'm glad we did. Get Codsworth, I mean. He's a godsend when it comes to around the house, and Izuku loves him."

"What more could we ask for in a robot butler?" Inko agreed. The two shared a smile, before digging into their sugar bombs. Near the window, a constant chatter of songs played on as the young couple shared a nice breakfast together.

Inko was just finishing up when the sounds of Izuku crying reached her ears. Codsworth floated back into the room. "Sir? Ma'am? It seems young Izuku has woken up, and absolutely refuses to calm down. Perhaps he needs some of that parental affection you two seem to be so good at."

Inko stood up. "I'll take care of it," she told Hisashi. "I'm closer to being finished anyways."

Hisashi looked up, mouth still full of food. "Ifsh yo sayis sow." Inko laughed aloud, and proceeded to the nursery.

There Izuku was, swathed in blankets, eyes shut tight as he squirmed and whined. Inko stuck her hand in the cradle, rubbing his cheeks and patting his head. The effect was immediate, as her child calmed down, looking up at her with those big green eyes of his, eyes he had gotten from her.

The sight warmed Inko's heart like nothing else, overflowing with love. How had she gotten so lucky?

"Look at you two. My favorite people in the whole wide world." Hisashi walked in and slung an arm over Inko's shoulders. She leaned into his touch. "Hey, I fixed the mobile yesterday, want to give it a spin, see if it works?"

"Will do." Inko gently turned the mobile, and the toy rocket ships spun around as soft music played. Izuku giggled and reached up, the four month old child grasping for the objects. "I seems you did a good job," she informed her husband.

Hisashi puffed up his chest. "Of course! Only the best for my little boy!" Inko hummed appreciatively.

The two watched their son for a moment more, before Hisashi turned to Inko. "What do you say we go to the park this afternoon? Radio says it's going to be sunshine all day long. We could even invite the Bakugos. I know you've been talking about seeing Mitsuki for a while now."

"That sounds like a great idea," Inko agreed. "I'll go call her up now."

The doorbell rang. The couple turned to each other. Hisashi raised an eyebrow. "You want me to go get it?"

Inko shook her head. "No, I can get it." Hisashi brought his arm away from her shoulder and she moved around him to get to the front door. Through the window their door had, she could see the person waiting outside was a middle aged man wearing a fedora of some sort.

She hesitated, then opened the door. The man startled and stepped forward. "Ah, good morning! Vault-Tec calling!"

Inko blinked. Vault-Tec? If she remembered correctly, they were a company making fallout shelters, the only one completely backed by the government. What were they doing at her door? Surely with the ongoing crisis with China, they had enough applicants that they didn't need to solicit. "Good morning to you too," she managed.

"Oh why thank you! Isn't it? Just look at the sky out there." The man gestured around with his clipboard, then cleared his throat. "You can't begin to know how happy I am to finally speak with you. I've been trying for days. It's a matter of utmost urgency, I assure you."

"Um, okay." Inko rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm glad you're here then. What does Vault-Tec want?"

"Oh, we don't want anything from you!" The man assured her. "I'm here to tell you that because of your family's service to this country, you have all been pre-selected for entrance into the local vault! Vault 111. And I think you'll be glad of it." He leaned closer, as if sharing a secret. "The big kaboom is inevitable, I'm afraid. And coming sooner than you might think, if you catch my drift."

Inko momentarily froze up at the statement, before taking a deep breath to calm herself. Of course Vault-Tec would say that, fear of nuclear war was what their company profited off of. _Still_, she mused, _it couldn't hurt if we're already entered in, and don't have to pay for anything._

The man was still talking. "Now, I know you're a busy woman, and I won't take up much of your time. Time being a, um, a precious commodity. Just fill out these forms, if you would, and you'll be all set."

"Couldn't hurt to do it." Inko turned to see Hisashi walking over, Izuku in his arms. "Peace of mind, right?"

"Exactly!" The man affirmed, waving his arms around.

Inko offered the salesman a slight smile. "Well, alright then." She took the forms and filled out her information, before taking Izuku and handing the papers to Hisashi, who did the same. Her husband gave the clipboard with their papers back to the Vault-Tec representative.

He checked over the forms. "Wonderful! That's everything. I'm just going to go run this down to the local vault." He backed away, still facing them. "Congratulations on being prepared for the future!"

Inko let out a small huff. "Sounded more like a salesman than anything. But hey, now we've got a safe place to go, just in case. And we didn't have to pay for it or anything." She rocked Izuku back and forth."

Hisashi leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Even after three years of marriage, it still sent tingle's of joy throughout her body. "I wouldn't mind paying anyways. For you and Izuku, no price is too high."

"Always," Inko hummed. She handed Izuku back to Hisashi. "I'll go call Mitsuki now, see about that trip to the park."

* * *

"Heya Greenie! What's been going on with you?" Mitsuki grinned across the neatly mowed lawn of Sanctuary's park. Inko laughed and ran over, pulling her oldest friend into a hug. The Bakugos had already set a blanket down, and Hisashi and Masaru were getting Izuku and Katsuki settled. Out of the two, Katsuki was the only one who had said any words yet, and those were only 'mama' and 'papa'. Still, the two seemed to get along well, in their own babyish way.

The two friends separated, and Inko set down her backpack, pulling out various snacks. "Well, it seems Hisashi's service really has been appreciated by the government. We've just been informed that we're all set to go into the local fallout vault."

Mitsuki scoffed and waved her hand, as if shooing the idea away. "Bah. I don't believe in that bullshit. You'd think that if things were bad enough that we really needed fallout shelters, they'd either announce it to the whole country or not say anything at all."

Hisashi shrugged. "It makes me feel better, at least. Knowing we've got a place to go and all."

"That does make sense." Masaru murmured. Mitsuki hit him lightly.

"Oh, don't tell me you by into that crap too!" She scowled playfully. "I won't have us wasting money on some fucking government scams." She turned to Inko. "Thought you knew better than that, Greenie."

Inko shrugged and looked away, holding Izuku as he sucked on the baby formula they had brought. "We didn't have to pay for it, actually. I mean, you think they'd make us pay if it really was a scam, right? What's the point of doing something like that if you don't profit off of it?"

"I dunno," Mitsuki shrugged. "Maybe it's just that marrying a vet has made you extra paranoid nowadays."

"Hey!" Hisashi protested.

Inko looked away. "Have you seen the news lately? Beyond all the propaganda, I mean. The war with China, troops everywhere, peace talks failing and failing over and over again. People keep saying it's never going to get that bad, but it keeps getting worse and worse anyways." She let out a shaky breath. "I'm just worried. And if I get a little piece of mind for no extra cost, I think it's worth it."

Hisashi wrapped his arm around her. Mitsuki looked taken aback, and then a little guilty.

"Right. That makes a little sense, I guess." She didn't meet Inko's eyes, and Inko knew that was the most she would be getting out of her friend. She had known Mitsuki since they were in preschool, and throughout all that time, Mitsuki had always been both confrontational and skeptical; not the best combination when it came to admitting her wrongs. Still, Inko knew the blonde in and out, and could tell when she really meant sorry or not. This was one of those times.

The two couples chatted for a little while longer, talking about this and that. Eventually, Hisashi mentioned that he was giving a speech at the Veteran's Hall that night.

"Is that so?" Masaru pushed his glasses up his nose, bouncing Katsuki on his leg. "Is this a veterans and family only thing, or can we come to see you as well?"

Hisashi picked at his shirt. "Ah, it's just for Vets and families, sorry. I appreciate that you'd come though. It's really nice to hear. Even with all this patriotism going around, there are still some people out there who really don't like soldiers.

"I can take a video of his speech and send it to you," Inko amended.

"Yeah, sure thing. And if any jackass says something fucky to you about being a vet, I'll sock 'em in the face," Mitsuki declared.

"Jackass," Katsuki added helpfully. Izuku giggled. Inko choked and Hisashi let out a startled laugh. Masaru almost dropped his child.

Mitsuki waved her hands around frantically. "Wait shit, I didn't mean - fuck, I mean - dammit! Don't say any of these words, they're bad words, okay? Why couldn't you have picked up something like 'no', like most babies do?"

"Jackass," Katsuki responded happily. "Jackass Jackass Jackass." A strangled sound escaped Mitsuki's throat. Inko started chuckling, and Hisashi was rolling on the group, shaking with silent mirth.

"At least it wasn't his first word," Masaru assured his wife, trying to salvage the situation. She waved him off.

"Shut up, shut up! I fucked this up, I can handle that. It's fine. Little brat just takes after me is all, obviously. It's all good."

"Fuck," said child announced. Mitsuki groaned and hid her face in her hands as the rest of the adults fell into full on laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation. Izuku giggled from his place on Inko's lap, utterly oblivious to what had just happened, but seeing his parents happy and responding in kind.

The four eventually made plans again for two weeks from then, and packed everything up. Inko placed Izuku in his baby carrier on her back, and held Hisashi's hand as the young family walked back to their car.

* * *

Inko sat down gently on the sofa, cradling Izuku in her arms. Her baby boy was fast asleep once again, and sucking on his thumb. Hisashi sat down next to her and leaned his head against her shoulders. She leaned back on him.

"I was thinking," he murmured quietly. "We're already going to hire a sitter while we go to the Hall tonight. Maybe we could go out afterwards and get some dinner. We'll already be all dressed up, after all."

"Mmm, that sounds like a good idea," Inko affirmed. We haven't gone out to dinner in a while. It'll be nice to go somewhere, just the two of us." Izuku was the best thing in her life, but he was still a baby, and babies were tiring. "Who was it we were going to call again? The Taylor's son?"

Hisashi nodded. "Tina had him sitting for little Rob before, she says he's wonderful with kids."

"Well, we wouldn't want someone who wasn't," Inko joked lightly. "We should probably get dressed for the event soon."

"Eh, we've got time. It's only four o'clock." The three sat in companionable silence for a while, Codsworth making tea in the background, just soaking in the happiness that came with being together.

Then Hisashi turned on the TV.

"Followed by...yes, followed by flashes. Blinding flashes Sounds of explosions…. We're...we're trying to get confirmation…." The newscaster had his face sinking into one of his hands as he read right off his sheet, looking absolutely devastated. "But we seem to have lost contact with our affiliate stations…."

"What's going on?" Hisashi murmured, voice unsteady. Inko stared wide eyed at the TV screen.

"We do have...coming in...confirmed reports. I repeat, confirmed reports of nuclear detonations in New York and Pennsylvania. My god." The man's head fell in his hands as he dropped the paper.

Shaking, Inko turned to Hisashi. "W-We have to get out." Thoughts of Mitsuki, Masaru, and Katsuki flashed in her mind. And her parents, they lived in New York!

"The vault," Hisashi choked. "We need to get to the vault." Inko nodded silently, gripping Izuku tighter as Hisashi leaped over the sofa and opened the door. She stood up and grabbed the baby carrier, placing Izuku in it, then quickly followed her husband outside.

Outside was absolute panic. Everyone was running in different directions. Many people were screaming, others sobbing. Some just looked dumbstruck, standing still and not moving anywhere. The Vault-Tec van was still sitting just outside their house. Inko couldn't see the man who had talked to them earlier inside.

An aircraft flew overhead, and someone inside announced: "All citizens: If you are registered for the vault, evacuate to Vault 111. I repeat, evacuate to Vault 111."

Mrs. Whitfield was suddenly in front of her. "This way!" she motioned frantically. "The vault is this way!" Inko and Hisashi followed her past their neighbor's pristine houses and shiny cars, down a dirt pathway leading up towards the hill right outside of their neighborhood.

Two of her neighbors, people Inko had never bothered to learn the names of, were arguing over an unpacked suitcase. "There's no time for this! Just forget the bags, who cares!?" The woman shrieked.

The man glared at her. "Just help me pack it up!" Hisashi paused in front of them.

"The bombs are dropping now!" He shouted at them. "We all need to move!" Inko bounced on the balls of her feet nervously; while she admired her husband's dedication to helping others, this really wasn't the time.

"Stay out of this!" They both snarled back. Inko, moving only on adrenaline and fear for her family, used the one hand not supporting Izuku to grab her husband and keep them moving up the hill, where more soldiers, including those in power armor, something she had only seen on screens, were waiting for them.

A soldier directed them to where the biggest group of people were standing. "If you're in the vault program, head that way!" He shouted. Inko nodded her gratitude at him, and they raced towards the mass of soldiers and people.

The man from earlier, the Vault-Tec rep, was waving his arms furiously in front of another soldier, who was blocking the gate. "This is ridiculous!" The man yelled. "I _am_ Vault-Tec! I should be able to get in! This is my job!"

"You're not on the list," the soldier snapped. "You're not on the list, you don't get in. That's just how this works."

"How dare you!" The rep made a haphazard movement to push past the soldier and get to the vault. The soldier grabbed his wrist and threw him down, sending him sprawling on the ground. Other soldiers came and dragged him away.

Inko watched the whole display, and glanced nervously at Hisashi, who gave her a shaky smile in return. She adjusted Izuku in her arms and stepped up to the soldier, who was dusting his hands off and grabbing his clipboard again, as if none of that had happened.

"Please, we need to get in!" Inko implored the man, trying her best to ignore the man being dragged off, and feeling immensely guilty for doing so. "We're on the list."

She fidgeted as the man checked his clipboard. "Infant, adult male, adult female...you're in. Go ahead up that way." He gestured towards the top of the hill. "Good luck, and god help us all."

"Thank you!" Hisashi said, as Inko let out a sigh of relief. The two kept going, towards another soldier in blue, who directed them to the top, where some of their neighbors were already standing.

"What's going to happen to all those people outside the gate?" Inko wondered aloud. Again, Mitsuki and her family flashed through Inko's mind. _Oh god…._

"We're doing everything we can!" The soldier shouted over the noise of the people and aircrafts. "Now come on, up onto the door!"

Inko jumped on the metal, then looked down at her feet. The 'door' seemed to be a platform shaped like a gear, with the bright yellow letters that said 'VAULT 111' printed on top of it. Were they going to be lowered down? It would make sense.

Hisashi climbed up after her. "You two okay?" He asked, concern and fear filling his eyes. Inko was still shaking, but she found the strength to affirm his inquiry. He gave her a small smile. "I love you," he murmured. "Both of you."

"We love you too." She replied quietly.

Then her ears popped loudly as the loudest sound she had ever heard echoed across the sky. Bright light accosted her vision, streaking through the sky, and as it retreated Inko could clearly see the form of a mushroom cloud, billowing upwards, all orange and yellow and absolutely terrifying. She saw Hisashi grab his ears. The platform slowly started lowering into the ground.

"Can't this thing move any faster?" Mr. Whitfield yelled, as a cloud of dust quickly traveled across the ground and towards them. Inko gulped and leaned down with everyone else, covering Izuku as best she could. The platform sank lower and lower, but the cloud was moving so fast….

Just as Inko's head went underground, it flew overhead, the shockwave almost deafening her once again. Tears ran down her face as she closed her eyes and tucked Izuku in tight, praying that they'd be okay.

At her husband and neighbor's exclamations of relief, she dared to open her eyes again. They were totally underground, and rapidly approaching a wide yellow gate, which seemed to lead into a somewhat dark open space.

"We did it," Hisashi murmured. "We made it. We're okay." He turned back to Inko and Izuku, pressing his forehead against hers. He brought up a calloused hand to wipe away her tears. "It's going to be alright. _We're_ going to be alright."

"Right," Inko sighed. The tears kept flowing, possibly from relief, but more likely from the thought of what she had just left behind, all the people that were suddenly gone. It was so awful….

"Mitsuki. Masaru. Katsuki. Our families." Inko reached up a hand to wipe the rest of her tears. "They can't be gone, right? There's a chance they could still be alive. There has to be."

Hisashi nodded. "That's right. There are always survivors. And there's also other shelters that aren't Vault-Tec. I know of one right near where they live. There's a good chance that they made it out alive. They did, I'm sure of it."

The yellow gate opened up, and the closest man behind it started issuing orders. "Everyone, please step off the elevator and proceed up the stairs in an orderly fashion. No need to worry folks! We'll get everyone situated in your new home: Vault 111. A better future, underground." Inko almost wanted to yell at the man. How could he be so calm when everything had gone to hell? But she guessed that was why he had gotten this job.

"So we just…?" Mr. Russel, who lived two doors down from them was looking around in awe.

"Yes, right up the stairs." The Vault-Tec man motioned past him. The shell shocked citizens of Sanctuary Hills slowly followed him, murmuring to each other.

"I can't believe it. If we'd been up there a minute later…."

"My mother and father were down in DC. Do you think they're still alive?"

"Everything...it's really gone. If it hadn't been for Vault-Tec, we'd all...oh god."

"No no, don't think about that," A man in a blue jumpsuit said it what was probably meant to be comforting. "Your safe now! Just head upstairs, and through the door there." Inko followed his directions, careful not to disturb Izuku, who had been unusually calm throughout the entire ordeal. A computer was chiming on about Vault-Tec amenities, and the other new residents were still talking, but it was all starting to blur together.

A woman with short hair was handing out the blue jumpsuits of everyone. She smiled as Inko approached, and held out a suit. "You'll need your suits before we take you any further," she said. "Here you go."

Inko took the suit. It had '111' printed on the back of it. "Thanks. What now?"

"Just follow the doctor here. He'll show you where to go." She tilted her head towards a white haired man in a lab coat, who gave them all a smile.

"All right you three. Follow me. You're gonna love it here. This is one of our most advanced facilities! Not that the others aren't great, mind you." They walked deeper into the vault. Inko looked around at all the other people, who all seemed to be in between sobbing at their loss and relieved they were alive. Inko herself just felt somewhat numb at that point. She rocked Izuku gently to remind herself he was still there.

"How long do you think we'll be down here?" Hisashi wondered.

"Oh, we'll be going over all that in orientation," the doctor assured him. "Just a few medical items we need to check off first."

They stepped into a cold room, chilly enough that Inko could see her breath. There seemed to be pods lined up on each side. Many of their surviving neighbors were already there and in their vault suits, getting ready to enter the pods.

They stopped at the end of the room. The doctor turned to them. "Just step in here, and put your vault suit on. Take your time, we've got all day." Izuku started to cry at that moment, and Inko gently shushed him.

Hisashi tapped her shoulder to get her attention. "I can hold him while you get in your suit."

Inko smiled at her husband gratefully. "Thank you." She handed Izuku to him and ducked behind the pod to change. She felt the clothing wrap around her smuggly. Now that she was wearing it, it didn't seem as garish as it had before. She stepped back around and took Izuku back, who had quieted down in Hisashi's arms.

The doctor helped her and Izuku up into the pod. "This will depressurize and decontaminate you, before we head deeper into the vault," the doctor informed her. "Just relax, it'll be over soon."

"Thank you," Inko said, as the pod closed around her and her son. "Time for a whole new life, I suppose."

The doctor smiled. "That's the spirit!" He left her field of vision. Across from her, Hisashi put his hand up against the pod door.

"Resident secure," a computer stated. "Occupant vitals normal." Inko could hear her own breath. She was breathing rather quickly. "Procedure complete." She thought again about her best friend. Would they ever see each other again? "In 5...4…" Everything was getting colder, and ice was covering the glass on the pod door. What was going on? "3...2...1."

* * *

She was thawing out.

Inko gasped for breath as the ice around her slowly melted away. She blinked into consciousness, looking at the dark room outside of her pod, much darker than she remembered it. What was going on? Obviously that hadn't been just 'decontamination and depressurization', that didn't usually freeze someone up. So what had really happened?

"Failure: Access to cryopod: denied." _Cryopod_? Was that what they had been placed in? But why?

"Dammit!" A hand slammed on the outside of her pod. She startled and focused in on the noise. A bald man with a scar on his face seemed to be glaring at her. Someone else in a white lab suit was standing right behind him. "Guess we'll have to go right to the backup."

"Keep them alive," the person in the lab suit informed the man. "They can be the backup. They'll have to thaw out eventually." They turned and pressed a button on Hashish's pod, opening it and sending him tumbling out.

Her husband pushed himself to his knees. "What - what's going on? Is it over? Are we okay?"

"Almost," the man said. "Everything's going to be fine. Just come with us." Fear raced through Inko's body, far colder than the cryopod.

Hisashi backed away on the ground. "Who are you people? What do you want?" The person in the lab suit pulled out some sort of needle and stabbed Hisashi with it while he was preoccupied with the man with the scar. He dropped down, fast asleep. The two people dragged him away.

Inko wanted to scream. She wanted to help her husband. She wanted the _damn_ pod to open up! But with a "Cryogenic sequence reinitialized," She was quickly falling under again. A tear froze on her cheek….

And everything was back to black.


End file.
